Ronald Ross and the malaria-mosquito cycle.

This essay examines briefly Ronald Ross's research on malaria in India between 1895 and 1899, during which time he elucidated the role of the Anopheles mosquito in the transmission of the disease. During his crucial experimental work in 1898, he used birds, human malaria being relatively uncommon in Calcutta. This article is based largely on the correspondence between Ross and Patrick Manson, which has just been edited.